✧WAKING UP TO A NIGHTMARE✧

♕♕♕

◊━━━━━✥━━━━━◊

***

━━━━━▼━━━━━

━━━━━▲━━━━━

***

As James and Peter seemingly managed to get Moony back to the 'den' before the sunup, it proved to be a rather depressing matter. Having to aid their limping and freshly transformed werewolf turned human throughout the school and to the infirmary. But their pact was to Remus, and Aurora already had her brother at her side.

Sirius was lying down, staring at his sister who looked so calm and peaceful. But part of him saw the resemblance to that of her laying in a casket.

And when sleep finally came to him due to exhaustion, he saw his parents shunning her, all leading up to the point of their mother killing her in cold blood with one flick of the wand...

Luckily it was already morning and Sirius had an excuse to himself to stay awake. On the other hand, the demand that Remus learns of Aurora's secrets, in how she's been aiding him long before the boys managed their own animal forms...

Sirius thought, that even through all of this...Aurora was still protecting the fact that they were illegal animaguses. Granted she had thought ahead and got it done when she was in America and that was enough for the professors.

As Poppy was cleaning Remus and hiding both of the students in the corner of the infirmary room behind curtains, it aided the fact that there would be company this fine morning.

Everyone had needed it.

Sirius, groggy as ever had leaned up from the bed and wiped his red shot eyes to look at both James and Peter. 

Whose eyes looked to Aurora and only her.

"Dumbledore says she won't get the curse." He spoke, monotoned as ever. And it had been a rather big breath of fresh air for the two that spent the entire night racing with one another.

"I'll stay, you two get some rest...Please." James shook his head, in denial, but it had been the work of quiet movements to get another bed here as Sirius offered his up to James while Peter managed his own on the other side of Aurora.

While Sirius took refuge at one of the seats, but took one of the pillow and blankets as he propped his feet up in hopes of getting somewhat comfortable.

In light of it all, it had been a Sunday. Nothing truly planned as it had been a Slytherin and Hufflepuff game the day before and there was no obligation for the rest of the boys while the girls just assumed she had fallen asleep in a classroom again.

The normal recurring lie that she'd keep using.

With everyone sleeping there had been a few visitors, course the nurse of the hour checking constantly as the deputy mistress instructed Poppy to tell her when Aurora is awake and properly lucid.

But in the realm of everything, Remus had to be the one to wake up first. And to his confusion, none of his friends were there. Nor were a stack of books for him to read? 

Had they forgotten or had they fallen asleep?

It had reminded him of first year where he had to prepare himself for these boring moments. Yet it was close to noon and Sirius forced himself up from the chair with a stiff back to go and check on Moony. Only to find him awake.

Sirius didn't have time to check himself, but the scratches on...either of the was enough to tell Remus what had happened without any words between the lot of them.

"P-pads what—...Are you okay?" The silence washed over once again as Sirius simply pulled a chair closer to his mate and sighed down. Elbows connected to his knees in a constant battle between struggling to find the right words and denying Dumbledore's demand.

However, with Sirius not talking at all, it occurred to Remus that his friends regretted ever coming with him in the first place, and his tears ushered instantly. This was such a vulnerable state for Remus, so soon after the moo...but also seeing his best mate sporting these scratches hurt him.

Course the rest of them would get healed by Rory before going to see Remus, another constant with her being around. And so Sirius looked up again in a bigger attempt in speaking.

"Fine...Actually, I think I made out better than Prongs and Wormy..." He spoke, and that confused Remus. How could he make out better, and so it was easier said than done as Sirius nicked his head.

"...They're just behind the curtain, thought we'd keep you company this time 'round but also...Fuck." He growled, his hands dragging his cheeks up and down in an attempt to wake up, but also trying to find the courage to get through this.

"Tell me...P-please Sirius tell me." He nodded, but the two balled up fists blocked his mouth as he attempted to find the right words.

"Snape followed you down the whomping willow before we all came down..." It was the best place to start off with and so Remus nodded for him to continue, but Snape himself wasn't in the infirmary at all. He managed the best out of the six of them.

"...Could've been worse for the dumbarse if Rory didn't—" The mere mention Aurora had caused Remus to his in pain but also send alerting sirens. Merlin, he was fucked.

"Rory knew mate. Rory knew second year and she wanted so badly to tell you. She's been with you on moons even before we had the idea of being animagius...She—" Remus had let out a silent tear as he did not manage to grasp a single word that followed after 'Rory knew second year'.

"W-what?" He croaked out, his eyes turning a very glossy shield around them and Sirius attempted to nod again. "She's some big cat, Leopard think she said...Black, beautiful creature...But course it had to happen the one night we weren't there with her...She must've saved Snape before you—" Sirius closed his eyes as he removed the blinds to show Remus the three slumbering friends all tucked in and snoring.

The entirety of Aurora's shoulder was bandaged up, but with everything that has happened, her color has returned to a natural stake of light pink.

But the scent of dried blood did not stop Remus from licking his lips...He tastes blood.

He felt utterly sick, taking the glass of water and chugging it in hopes of getting the mere flavor out and away. And for once today worked in his favor...For the moment.

"She's fine...She told Minnie before, she has her license from the states. Did us a favor really, just—we had to tell you now that she's hurt." Remus was still in denial of it, not only had Aurora known and kept quiet.

But she's been helping under the raider. What happened to the girl who said 'I'm not bloody dumb' to when he asked if she was doing it too.

"She...She knows?" Sirius nodded again, he knew how much Remus despised her knowing about his furry little secret. So Sirius sat down again right beside his friend nodding along.

"Before us...Pomfrey just looked at the bite, doesn't look too bad now." His eyes turned to small specks of nothing as the term bite left him with a deep shiver.

He bit her.

"Happened when she was a cat mate, Headmaster said she's okay..." That still didn't ease his worries, not one bit. Yet Sirius trying to calm down his sobbing friend was more comfort than he thought he deserved.

"I...I hurt h-her—I hurt Rory—How could you—How could you even s-stand t-to lo-look at me?" He cried out, his eyes turning red at the raw amount of tears coming from him. But Sirius displayed nothing but kindness, saying that Aurora wouldn't want to see him crying it. Yet that wasn't what he needed, what he needed was to see that she alright and completely well.

"Alright boys, go and get some lunch...Ms.Black will wake up soon. Sure you have much to discuss." She hinted and now that led to Remus being awfully confused. 

"Just get some rest Moony, we'll come back with some snacks or something." James offered, rubbing his eyes as he was more or less violently exhausted but forced himself up anyhow.

They said they mumbled goodbyes, but Remus felt the guilt dreading further and further. If he had the strength, he would go and sit on one of the three beds, but Madam Pomfry knew the boy better than anyone.

She closed the divider to help him get him back to sleep, as well as manage to down another dreamless sleep potion. Not enough for the rest of the day, but enough for the given few hours.

The boys returned, course they brought their own forms of entertainment as Moony never really allowed them to stay. Or Madam Pomfry for that matter of opinion.

Course they tried to talk with Moony but he had been so focused on waiting for Aurora that he too had been in and out of sleep most of the day. Not that that was actually new the day after a full moon, he'd regularly do this. Especially tomorrow if it had been that bad of a moon...
And it had.

Aurora on the other hand, had woke up to the rather bright affecting white curtains and...Well everything in the infirmary was this distasteful white, the smell didn't help her either.

Groaning all the bit more did that alert the rather silent and very bored Mauarders, however Sirius was the first one to signal to stay.

The young Black daughter had just barely started taking in her senses as the potions pumping through her systems were giving the loopy effect of the thin Ravenclaw.

Rising a bit did not aid her at all, instead it had woken her up quicker considering the pain fired through her nerves as her shoulder moved half an inch.

"Fuck..." She hissed, still managing to sit up further and further. But as loopy as she seemed to be, she desperately need the water off on her side. So she simply leaned over and attempt to manage the glass, however Sirius had intercepted and helped her hold onto it properly.

"Siri what—What hap—" Her eyes flashed as she started recalling each and ever sort of bit that she could, that's when the tears started building up on her as well. "Is he okay?" 

"Who Snivilius? Yeah he's—"

"Oh fuck Snape the bottoms of the earth, Remmy—Is Remmy okay?" She cried, attempting to stop herself from shaking but also to stop the mass production of tears that were coming.

"What do you remember?" Her head tilted down to look at the glass of water her eyes scanning almost as she were reading exactly what had happened down in front of her...But the sheets were clear and as much as he wanted to roll his eyes, if this would help then there wouldn't be any arguments on his side.

"...I—We were playing, it was fine. Just harmless chase, what we normally would do and then—Then Snape came down...I tried Siri—I tried to keep it under control but I couldn't—I'm so sorry." She cried out, and all Sirius could manage is to engulf his little sister into a hug. Mindful of her beaten up shoulder but also extremely prideful of what she had accomplished.

"You're alright...You're alive, that's all that—" 

"But Snape left the door open! Remmy got out, didn't he? He's probably lying in the forbidden forest, Siri you have to—" Her rambling ceased when she saw Remus himself standing in the open crack between the curtains.

"Rory..." he breathed, oh Merlin take pity on his kind soul.

With the help of her brother did she manage on her two feet, retaining the balance as she stumbled forward a small bit. And part of Remus assumed that he was going to get slapped like Rabastan but a hundred times worse.

So when one arm connected around his lower torso he was utterly confused, and since Aurora couldn't move any bit of her other arm, she made due with what she could use.

Stuffing her face into his chest was she still crying, now it was just muffled into his hold.

"Are you okay Remmy?" She whispered, and he cracked right then and there as his arms tightened around her further. His forehead had touched down as far as it could, but the fact that she held no grudge against him. More so worried about him than anything else at the moment. Not herself, not Snape. Him.

"I...I...I b-bit you...A-and y-you're asking if—" She placed her chin propped onto the center of his chest, offering a tired smile but nodded never the less.

"I was Salem, sure it'll heal before—Oh merlin sakes, did you lot read anything I wrote about it." She growled, and now each and everything had made senses as the confused glances rendered Remus speechless.

With Aurora healing quite nicely, it was written off as a dislocated shoulder that would heal within the next week. Unfortunately for her, that meant she'd miss her first game of her entire career. Saddened of course, but she attempted to keep this Lowkey as Remus was guilty enough as is, especially when she was wearing a sling for the first two days...

The two of them were simply in the library, her arm still resting but no longer confined within a sling. McGonagall and the headmaster had allowed her to borrow an enchanted quill that was in tune with her thoughts and would write whatever note or comment that she needed to document.

No one in the group voiced a single mention of the last full moon, it still was a large pill to swallow for Remus who was still struggling to understand that Aurora knew since second year.

All those lies, all those times she asked if he was feeling okay, she knew.

That's what struck him as odd. That she was still here, still sitting in front of him, even when he's a monster. Granted her knowing before her brother and his roommates was another mention that he didn't quite come to full terms with either.

"Remus? Are you listening?" She whispered, he looked back up to see her staring directly at him. A bit impatiently as she did end up repeating what she said three times in hopes of getting him out of the trans.

"Y-yeah?" 

"Then what did I say?" She questioned, and he slumped his head back down and frowned. He honestly didn't even know what sort of realm of a category she could be referring to,  it was something he adored of her. But realistically, his guess would be good as any.

"Er—" 

"Right, that's what I thought...Maybe you should get more sleep Remmy, you look tired." Great. He thought, now she can openly baby him like his mother.

Oh the power due they would be.

"I'm fine." She pouted, not used to him being rather difficult. So she just spewed the first thing that came to mind, an apology for not telling him.

And while she was going on and on about it, Remus stared at her like she finally cracked. 

"Are you draft?! Why are you apologizing?" He managed to delude her of every possible thought, action or attempted reasoning as she gawked at him.

"Circi Remmy...I wanted to tell you since I figured it out! Since I became Salem...Since I scared James into his Stag, there were all these times I could've but I didn't want to make Siri or anyone angry and then you would've...Well what you're doing now." That's when he frowned, feeling rather called out on his behavior as he voiced his opinion on the matter. Only for him to be interrupted.

"I don't care what you are, Merlin did you think so little of me that I'd judge you on something you can't control?! I'm not my parents, I'm not a purist elite who-who does that?! Remmy I love you, I love your heart and soul and everything about you. And see you go through what you have all these years makes you the bravest person I know." She cried, and even found it difficult not to keep his emotion tucked away from that moment on.

Aurora's brother and James were the face of Gryffindor, even in their fifth year alone. She took both of her hands and gripped his single left that had been left out for the taking.

"'Someone told me once don't trust the moon, she's always changing,' do you remember that?" She managed to whisper out, and he slowly nodded, his mind whirling that even then she knew. 

"I called Clay brave, I told you he overcame the idea of being alone and welcomed help when he needed it. Is there a difference between Sirius and the rest helping you than me doing it? I'm not deranged and you're not evil." The fact that she could dip into her mind and pull a conversation three years ago rendered him speechless, but the smile started to tug up at the notion of her pleading with him to see her views.

"One night out of the thirtyish days in a month? That shouldn't dictate how someone sees you Remus. You're a brilliant wizard, you were my first male friend here at Hogwarts that I didn't grow up with..." Her voice was getting inaudible and the tears she attempted to hide was not working out for her. But she managed to leave in further.

"I don't care what you are...All that matters is in here..." She pointed to the closest place to his temple, before her hand flattened against his chest feeling it a bit before landing onto his heart. 

"...And here. That's you, this heart...Here." Whatever was holding Remus together at the current moment had fallen apart, his dream was for people to accept him.

But his biggest fear almost became a reality, not only did she get bitten. On top of his secret being revealed to her, or her secret being shown onto his.

"You...You don't know h-how much that means to me...Rory god I'm so sorry I didn't—" She had enough, the table was a rude blockage between the two of them that she simply stood before him and hugged him. Even with his height sitting down was he still at her breast.

But that was not the biggest issue in the world for poor, poor Mr.Lupin.

Unfortunately for Aurora, Avery and McNair had seen the faithful embrace as Mr.Lupin found himself all too comfortable in their mate's girlfriend's hold. They quickly snapped their books closed and hurried off to find him.

And he was indeed outraged.

It just came all too unknowingly as she met him for prefect duty that night, although still sporting her little injury she fine otherwise.

She greeted him with a smile, but only ended up confused as he didn't return it. 

"You okay Raba?" Aurora spoke, oh she was good...He could give her that, but supposing in their world they weren't allowed to be anything more than fake and made of plastic.

So with a huff he glared towards her and continued moving. It confused her but perhaps it was a bit of stint between him and his mates? It's happened before but not so much that it affects their own time together.

Aurora couldn't put her finger on it.

"How was your day?" She attempted, but he did nothing more than nod along with it, even managing to avoid eye contact with her now.

Two could play it that game.

The two patrolled in silence, or so say it for the most part as they continued throughout their designated floor once over, and then twice for good measure. But before they could even get halfway, he spoke up. 

"Heard you were in the library today...Anything...Interesting to be found today?" She tried to recall her afternoon, it was more than emotional as the young Black lifted Remus' spirits and demolished his guilt all in one sitting.

But then her eyes flashed in recognition to his behavior. "Actually yeah...Remus' mum's has some sort of muggle sickness...Rather bad actually and she's getting worse." That's when Rabastan had stopped in his tracks, course his mates didn't bother trying to find a reason. And good thing either, considering Aurora didn't think anyone would be listening, let alone watching.

"Why? Were you going to ask if I found another book to discuss?" She questioned, but now they were at the breaking point. He's been caught and she's too pure to even admit it, isn't she?

So instead she come up in front of him and cups his two cheeks, even with her bad arm and smiles up towards him. 

"Remus is like my brother...If that's what you're referring to then he's having a hard time with it...And don't you dare say anything about blood because I won't repeat myself in that regard." He nodded, thus earning a small peck on his lips before she turned away to patrol the rest of this given hallway.

"I'm sorry Rory I—" 

"Raba I love you a lot, but if you don't trust me or if I don't trust you we're not going to go anywhere." He stilled, of course he would still at such a declaration...She loves him?

It was in an instant that his emotions got the best of him as he pulled Aurora into his own hold, placing his lips to hers in a rather quick but otherwise flirtatious embrace.

Although it was spontaneous, the man himself was ever so much more than that. He caught her off guard, but she more or less understood once their lips danced oh so gently to the rhythm of one another.

"I was going to take you to dinner and tell you that I—" Her giggle cup him off he blushed rather loudly in terms of embarrassment. 

"Raba I don't want all that, I want simplistic, I want the real you..." Narrowing his eyes was he awfully confused, and so he leaned in once more for a less demanding kiss and interlocked his hand with her remaining one.

"Sure you want to go and study love, let's get you back to the common room." She hums along, but as they were walking back Professor Slughorn wanted to question his prefect about something and so Aurora let him go with a quick kiss and a good night to either of them.

However, luckily enough she had turned the corner to see the one and only Severus Snape. She smirked as his head lowered but his gaze flickered upward, he was a scronny fellow, tall, but skinny as all hell.

So Aurora did the one thing she could. Pin him against the wall with her wand threatening his every move.

"Easy now Snape. Wouldn't want you to get hurt." She hisses, making sure she feels the heat that sizzled against the tip.

"I—I—" 

"You had a theory, did you not? About what happens to Remus—Ah ah ah, Snape. I don't know how familiar you are yet with curses. Wouldn't want to be your first." Course it hit him in confusion, but Aurora knew all too well that the Dark Lord isn't sympathetic to his failing Death Eaters. He'll punish so they have motivation further down the line.

"You know too much, obviously...So I'll make this simple, I can either extract the information myself. Trusting that I could do it correctly OR I can trust that you never mutter a word of my affiliation, my brother and his mates...And especially Remus. Do I make myself clear?" She offers once more, and he sneers in distaste. 

"And why would I—" 

"Because we value one similar thing, Lily, now I suppose she wouldn't be too Sympathetic as she's the one who tells you constantly to stop antagonizing the lot of them." His expression simply dropped from having the upper hand to suddenly returning to his neutral expression.

"Fine." He stiffens, and the second it had been an agreeing gesture Aurora backs off completely. Perhaps he had gained an ally within this very moment. Not that it mattered anyhow, they had a few remaining months for this year and nothing would put him in good enough graces to spent the time at their pristine manners.

No matter how hard he tries.

◇──◇────◇────◇──◇

Date Posted: 03-18-19

Time: 10:21

Words: 4133